The Best Places to Work Out

The Best Places to Work Out in America

The Best Places to Work Out

Malibu, CA

Plyometrics

Doing plyometrics on a soft surface like El Matador Beach in Malibu, California strengthens the body’s tiny stabilizing muscles and improves their reaction time. This translates to huge gains when you run and jump on a firmer surface, whether it's a track or a basketball court. “I’ve done drills in golf-course bunkers and long jump pits,” says Bryan Clay, 29, the U.S. gold medalist in the 2008 Olympics Decathlon. “But I prefer the beach because I can recover afterward by treading water in the ocean.” (See how Olympians like Clay Build Gold-Medal-Winning Speed[7].)

THE DRILL Warm up by jogging for five minutes, and then do each of the following five exercises 10 times, resting for 60 seconds between them: Butt kicks, hexagon jumps, sand shuttles, djerbakis (yes, you read that correctly), and rocket jumps. (Click here[8] for detailed exercise descriptions.) Rest for three minutes after you’ve completed all of the exercises, and then repeat the circuit.

DO IT Any area with sand or soft grass will do. Perform the drill barefoot to boost the benefits.

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Aspen, CO

Bicycle

The theory goes that spinning your pedals quickly requires less muscle tension, so you fatigue less and recover faster. "In general, you should be riding at a cadence of 80 to 110 revolutions per minute—whatever the gear or topography," says Chris Carmichael, 48, Armstrong's coach and the founder of Carmichael Training Systems. A fast, efficient spin is especially important when pedaling uphill. Aspen's altitude (7,907 feet) and abundance of climbs make it the perfect training spot.

THE DRILL Do four intervals of five minutes each, with five minutes of recovery in between. When Armstrong does this workout, he pedals at about 130 rpm, but anything faster than 100 is good. Estimate your cadence by counting your pedal strokes on one side for 15 seconds and multiplying by four.

DO IT Rent bikes and pick up route info at Hub of Aspen (hubofaspen.com). Carmichael's other favorites include Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Arizona (bike rentals at azcycling.com[9]), and Mt. Figueroa in the Santa Barbara wine country near Buellton, California (rentals at winecountrycycling.com[10]).

Can't make it to any of these spots? Stay at home and try our 82-Day Speed Shred Workout Series[11] for guaranteed results that will have you looking and feeling better than ever!

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Austin, TX

Swim

Six times longer than an Olympic-length pool, Barton Springs snakes its way through Zilker Park, in Austin, Texas. Untouched by chemicals, the clear water bubbles up through a natural spring, attracting all manner of swimmers. "There's something mystical about swimming at Barton Springs," says Keith Bell, Ph. D., 60, president of the American Swimming Association. "And training there builds endurance—you swim against some waves, and since it's a long pool, there's no momentum from turns." (Make these 3 tweaks[12] to swim faster and more efficiently.)

THE DRILL To develop a "longer" (read: faster) stroke, try this routine: Take two strokes with your right arm, one with your left, one with your right, and then two with your left. Then take one stroke with your right arm, one with your left, and two with your right. Got it? Continue this pattern for five minutes.

Bend, OR

Mountain Bike

"I have 100 miles of trails right out my back door," says Adam Craig, 28, a 13-time national mountain-bike champion who moved to Bend, Oregon, to train year-round. "Plus, Bend is at 3,625 feet, so you benefit from the altitude, but it doesn't take 10 days to adjust when you come from sea level."

THE DRILL “It’s just as important to train your core as your legs,” says Craig. “Your core is where you generate power.” To engage your core while riding, Craig recommends an hour-long single-speed workout (in an intermediate gear) over rolling terrain. If you want to kick your workout up a notch, include one-leg drills on a flat section midway through your ride. Pedal with only your left leg for one minute, then with both legs for one minute, and then with only your right leg for one minute. Repeat for 21 minutes.

DO IT For rental bikes and trail info, visit Hutch's Bicycles[15] in Bend. Other top places to find your fat-tire groove include the slickrock of Moab, Utah, and the single track of Fruita, Colorado.

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Bandon, OR

Golf

With 100-foot cliffs, gorse-draped hillocks, and rippling fairways, Bandon Dunes would be an exhilarating place to hike, let alone drive a golf ball. There are three links-style courses and no motorized carts—so be prepared to walk. “It’s the way golf was meant to be played,” says Brian Henninger, 46, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. “Play the ball in your stance to keep it under the wind, and opt for chip-and-run shots.” (See our choices for the Best Golf Clubs for Men[16].)

THE DRILL Before every round, do a reverse lunge with arm reach. It releases tension in your hip flexors, and engages the muscles in your hips, glutes, and lats, which all are prone to strains from golf. Step backward with your right foot into a lunge, and contract your right glute. Then reach your right hand overhead and laterally crunch your torso to your left as you reach your left hand toward the ground. Do five reps on each side.

Charlotte, NC

Playboat

"A river shouldn't flow in circles, but the Catawba does," says Brad Ludden, 28, a professional freestyle kayaker, referring to the section of the river that swirls through the U. S. National Whitewater Center, in Charlotte, North Carolina. "It's the ultimate whitewater park—an escalator even delivers you and your boat back upriver after you've tested out the rapids."

THE DRILL Many maneuvers you do on the river—Eskimo rolls, pulling cartwheels, surfing eddies—require upper-body strength, or what paddlers refer to as "weight overhead." Build it with the medicine-ball slam, says Ludden. Lift a bouncy 20-pound ball above your head, squat down, and slam it against the ground. When it bounces up three inches, catch it (still in a squat), stand, and bring it back above your head. Do this 25 times.

Cody, WY

Boulder

Bouldering is like rock climbing minus the ropes, helmets, and dizzying heights. "It fries your forearms and biceps," says Kevin Wilkinson, 28, a professional climber who has posted more than 125 first ascents around the globe. "But you also need a strong core in case your feet slip." His favorite spot: Cody, Wyoming. "It has orangey-black sandstone with about 1,200 different routes—all within walking distance of each other," he says.

THE DRILL To chisel his core, Wilkinson does hanging knee raises. "I find a ledge, and lift my legs up in front of me—first to the lift, and then to the right,” he says. “That's one rep—I do three sets of 10." The same exercise can be done on a chin-up bar, using an overhand grip.

DO IT Pick up Mike Snyder's Cody Bouldering Guide at the Beta Coffeehouse in Cody (the owner and author are the same). Other top bouldering spots include Bishop, California[23], where you'll find 2,000 routes, and Hueco Tanks[24], in El Paso, Texas, which is known for its smooth rocks.

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Gainesville, FL

Cross Train

"Running steps improves muscular endurance, which boosts performance in any sport," says Tim Tebow, 22, quarterback for the defending national champion Gators of the University of Florida, in Gainesville. Tebow routinely runs some 1,500 steps at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium—a killer loop up and down every aisle—to build endurance.

THE DRILL Warm up by walking up and down 90 steps twice. Then perform walking lunges up 90 steps. If your legs tire, rest for 60 seconds. Then, to build stamina, make an entire loop through the stadium, running at a pace you can maintain. This should take 15 to 25 minutes. Rest for three minutes, and finish off with some speed work: Sprint up 30 steps, walk back down, and repeat for a total of five sets.

DO IT You can bring Tebow's workout home by running intervals at your local bleachers (make sure they have at least 20 steps) or on a stair climber at your gym.

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Manhattan Beach, CA

Intervals

Topping out at 100 feet, and with inclines as steep as 50 degrees, the sand dune at Manhattan Beach, California, attracts A-list athletes, including Kobe Bryant, Reggie Bush, and Tony Gonzalez. The reason: Running on sand is low-impact, so it's easier on your joints, but it increases the work on your legs and core by adding instability, says Tom Vachet, a certified trainer and the president of Elite Performance Management.

THE DRILL Warm up by jogging to the top twice. Then start at the bottom and complete six 40-yard sprints up the embankment, walking down after each one, and resting one minute. Now run as fast as you can to the top, walk down, and rest for two minutes. Then complete another six 40-yard sprints, with one-minute rest in between.

DO IT The Manhattan Beach dune is at 33rd Street and Bell Avenue. No dunes where you live? Do the drills on any 100-foot, 50-degree slope.

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Memphis, TN

Basketball

There’s always action on the courts at Halle Park in Memphis, Tennessee, which are open 24 hours a day, and stay lit at night. "On the playgrounds, there's more one-on-one," says Ben Gordon, 25, a Chicago Bulls shooting guard. “Your best chance of winning is to keep your defender off balance.”

THE DRILL Gordon practices his offensive creativity by starting at the top of the key and dribbling to a location on the court. He hesitates, and then explodes as fast as possible to another area and takes a jump shot. "Hesitations keep your defender guessing,” says Gordon, “and once that happens, you can create an open shot." Gordon performs this drill for 15 minutes, practicing short-, mid-, and long-range shots.

DO IT If you can’t make it to Memphis, test your skills at Sunset Park, in Las Vegas, NV, where the best high-stake games are from 6 p. m. to 11 p. m., or Venice Beach, in Venice, CA, home to four courts made famous by White Men Can’t Jump.

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Newport, RI

Tennis

You don't have to travel to Wimbledon to play tennis on grass. The International Tennis Hall of Fame, in Newport, Rhode Island, has 13 grass courts that are open to the public. "Bring your A-game," says Jim Courier, 39, a former world champion. "Grass is the fastest surface, so players who attack are rewarded." Follow your serve to the net, and "chip and charge." That means hitting your groundstrokes earlier (which helps neutralize uneven bounces) and using more slice (which makes the ball skid).

THE DRILL To warm up for any activity that involves bending your knees—and to prepare yourself to scoop up volleys—do drop lunges, says Kevin Elsey, a performance specialist with Athlete's Performance in Phoenix, AZ. From a standing position, reach your left foot two feet behind your right foot and squat down while keeping your hips square and chest erect. Then, stand up and step laterally with your right foot. Repeat the sequence three to five times on each side.

Oklahoma City, OK

Dragon Boat

As a drummer pounds the rhythm, 20 paddlers stab their blades into the water and thrust their canoe forward. Dragon boating, which dates back 2,000 years to China, is fast, fun, and intense. Paddling works a range of upper-body muscles as well as the core and legs, explains Shaun Caven, 42, head coach at Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Boathouse. The boathouse is located on a 328-foot-wide, 6,560- foot-long stretch of the Oklahoma River with a hydraulic dam to control flow. "It's the perfect drag strip for racing," he says.

THE DRILL To build total-body strength and explosive arm power, do two sets of 10 plyometric pushups. Start in a standard pushup position, lower your body, and then quickly push up with enough force that your hands come off the floor. Make sure your elbows stay bent when you come down. Rest 60 seconds after the set and repeat.

Princeton, NJ

Row

Power and endurance: Few sports develop both, and that's the beauty—and the burden—of rowing, says Steven Coppola, 25, an Olympic rower. His training involves blasting up and down Carnegie Lake, near Princeton, New Jersey, to sharpen speed. "The lake is three and a half miles long and protected from the wind, so it's almost always rowable,” says Coppola.

THE DRILL Simulate rowing and build total-body strength with the high pull. Hold a barbell just below your knees with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Keeping your back flat and arms straight, pull the bar up as fast as you can by thrusting your hips forward and explosively standing up. As the bar passes your thighs, continue moving upward onto your toes, and pull the bar high on your chest by bending your elbows and raising your upper arms. Return to the starting position. Do three sets of five reps.

DO IT Carnegie Lake is open to the public. The country’s other top rowing centers include Boston's Charles River[29], and Philadelphia's Schuylkill River [30].

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Washington, DC

Soccer

It may seem like there's no scoring in soccer, but it's not for lack of effort. "I run anywhere from eight to 15 miles in a game," says Frankie Hejduk, 35, six-time MLS All-Star and captain of the Columbus Crew. "It's a mix of constant jogging spiked with 50 yard sprints and quick bursts. If you're not fit, you can't compete."

THE DRILL: To boost speed and stamina, Hejduk does shuttle intervals wearing an old backpack loaded with 20 pounds of sand. Set cones up at five, 10, and 15 yards. Sprint to the first cone, touch it, and jog back; sprint to the second cone, touch it, and jog back; and then sprint to the third cone, touch it, and jog back. Rest for 35 seconds and repeat five times.

DO IT: Pickup games are a good way to sharpen your skills. Visit socster.com[31] or infinitesoccer.com[32] to find one near you. Top spots include the Polo Grounds near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., Iverson Park, in Atlanta, GA, and Dorothea Dix Soccer Park, in Raleigh, NC.

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Zion National Park, UT

Run

Weave among Douglas firs, between walls of sandstone, and along 21 switchbacks as you ascend 1,500 vertical feet from the trailhead to the summit of Angels Landing. "I've run all over America—and the world—but nothing beats Zion National Park," says Ed Eyestone, 48, a two-time Olympian. It's not for the fainthearted: The last half mile of the five mile run follows a ridgeline with a drop-offs of nearly 1,000 feet on each side.

THE DRILL Run the switchbacks, called Walter's Wiggles, like stadium stairs. "Run six hard, jog one, and repeat," says Eyestone. "It will work your anaerobic threshold and make your gait more efficient."

DO IT Visit MensHealth.com/loops [33] to find maps for this run and six others, including ones in Boston, Portland (Oregon), and San Francisco, as well as trail runs in the Black Hills, South Dakota; Mammoth Lakes, California; and The Priest, Virginia.